In September 2019, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued its Strategic Framework for Countering Terrorism and Targeted Violence (CTTV Framework) and now offers this corresponding Public Action Plan demonstrating the Department’s efforts to combat emerging threats and improve information sharing. The Public Action Plan provides a high-level outline of the goals set by DHS, including efforts to secure cyberspace, deter lone wolf attacks, and secure soft targets such as churches and schools, along with the ability to dynamically modify DHS resources as new threats emerge.

“Nineteen years ago today, the American people came to understand the threat of terrorism in a new way. With the subsequent establishment of DHS, our nation vowed to prevent, disrupt, and deter terrorism of all sorts,” said Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad F. Wolf.  “Today, DHS continues to take unprecedented actions to address all forms of violent extremism. This new framework draws upon the Department’s intelligence, prevention, and preparedness capabilities and lays out discrete actions DHS will undertake to further safeguard our communities, schools, places of worship, cyberspace, and public gatherings.”

In September 2019, the CTTV Framework was published. In September 2020, the Department finalized the Public Action Plan—the public version of the Department’s internal Implementation Plan, also finalized this year. Collectively, these documents describe specific actions and milestones to achieve the CTTV Framework’s goals. 

This Public Action Plan does not describe the full complement of actions the Department is taking to combat terrorism and targeted violence. Rather, it provides an overview and examples of our work in order to be transparent with the American people and to underscore the Department’s commitment to fulfilling the goals and objectives outlined in the CTTV Framework.

Goals of the framework include:

• Understand the evolving terrorism and targeted violence threat environment, and support partners in the Homeland Security Enterprise through this specialized knowledge;
• Prevent terrorists and other hostile actors from entering the United States, and deny them the opportunity to exploit the Nation’s trade, immigration, and domestic and international travel systems;
• Prevent terrorism and targeted violence; and
• Enhance U.S. infrastructure protections and community preparedness.

Beginning in FY21, DHS will provide annual assessments to the salient congressional committees. By 2023, DHS will demonstrate measured improvements in its ability to understand current threats and accurately forecast emerging ones; detect threats before they reach the United States and deny terrorists’ attempts to enter our Nation; prevent terrorism and targeted violence in our communities; and enhance our infrastructure and community preparedness.

The successful implementation of the CTTV Framework will achieve a strategic end-state characterized by an adept and continually adapting Homeland Security Enterprise (HSE)—empowered by private sector and civil society partnerships—that successfully prevents, detects, deters, dissuades, disrupts, and responds to evolving terrorist and targeted violence threats.

The CTTV Framework’s goals and Public Action Plan are available for review here.